Fulbright Scholarship Funds Hungary Academic Experience

An associate professor in the management information systems department of the Jon M. Huntsman School of Business has been awarded a Fulbright Scholar grant to teach in Budapest.

Zsolt Ugray is one of only 1,100 faculty and professionals in government, science, the arts, business, philanthropy, education, and athletics from the United States who is traveling abroad through the Fulbright Program this school year. He is teaching classes in Corvinus University’s MIS program and is continuing his international research on the use and development of information systems and business intelligence tools while in his native Hungary.

Dr. Ugray recieved his doctorate from the University of Texas in 2011. He was selected based on academic and professional achievement, as well as demonstrated leadership, according to the J. William Fulbright Foreign Scholarship Board.

The Fulbright Program is an international educational exchange program sponsored by the U.S. government, operating in more than 155 countries around the world, designed to increase international understanding by studying, teaching, conducting research, exchanging ideas, and contributing to finding solutions to shared international concerns.

Corvinus University reported 17,879 students enrolled last school year, compared to Utah State's 25,767. Dr. Ugray said the university, which is noted for its programs in economics and business management, was looking for a scholar with teaching and research experience in MIS in a global context, which goes hand in hand with his interests and the Huntsman School’s vision.

“This kind of program is in strong alignment with the Huntsman School's efforts into global academic endeavors,” he said. “It complements the School's existing efforts and supplements it with a focus on faculty's research into international issues related to their field and gives more opportunities to develop relationships, contacts, future visiting possibilities for students and academics both to and from Hungary.”

Corvinus University is interested in building cooperative research projects in the MIS area, Dr. Ugray said, and specifically in his ability to teach several courses in their English language undergraduate and graduate MIS programs. He said the application process was not easy and took more than a year of planning.

“I started the process in the summer of 2010,” he said. “I wrote a research plan and described the types of courses I can offer to teach. I secured three endorsements, one from my department head, and two more that related to my scholarly and academic skills and achievements.”